Legal Strategies in Childhood Obesity Prevention Workshop Summary (2011) / Chapter Skim
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3 Actions by Federal Agencies: A Focus on Foods and Beverages
3 Actions by Federal Agencies: A Focus on Foods and Beverages
Pages 13-20
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From page 13... ...
Although there are limits on the authority of federal agencies to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and consumption of foods and beverages, legislation also gives them unique leverage points for combating the obesity epidemic.
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From page 14... ...
However, in a comprehensive survey of the then-available research on the relationship between food advertising on television and requests for, preferences for, and consumption of the advertised products by children and adolescents, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that there is strong evidence that television advertising influences food and beverage requests, preferences, and short-term consumption by children aged 2 to 11 (IOM, 2006)
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From page 15... ...
Barbara Schneeman, director, Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, described four specific initiatives: implementing the federal menu labeling law, updating the Nutrition Facts label, defining dietary guidance statements, and considering a front-of-package labeling system or systems.
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From page 16... ...
The label includes information on serving size, calories, and nutritional content based on daily values. The agency plans to issue proposed regulations regarding the prominence of the calorie information, updated daily value information, and updated serving size information for certain products.
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From page 17... ...
The agency also is actively involved with other agencies in the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and in efforts addressing the marketing of foods to children. Michael Landa, acting director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, spoke more broadly about the FDA's role in preventing childhood obesity.
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From page 18... ...
Finally, Landa expressed the opinion that one of the primary reasons for the increased use of seatbelts was education of elementary school children. "At least when my son was in elementary school, heaven help the driver or passenger in a car if he did not have his seatbelt on." To prevent childhood obesity, Landa said, the government will need to devote "a good deal of energy, time, money, and thought to education." DISCUSSION During the discussion period, Bruce Silverglade, Center for Science in the Public Interest, asked Landa about a different kind of health claim, which takes the form of "consumption of X helps maintain a healthy Y." Landa replied that the FDA has no premarket control over these so-called structure–function claims; the law does not require that companies notify the FDA before such claims are made.
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From page 19... ...
Thus, said Faber, setting limits on manufacturers is a complex undertaking that may not be the best approach to the problem. In response to a question about preventing childhood obesity in communities of color, specifically in Hispanic communities, Vladeck noted that the FTC is an antifraud agency and not a public health agency.
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From page 20... ...
But we don't have that authority." Joseph Thompson, a member of the IOM's Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention, asked whether federal agencies view childhood obesity as an epidemic and therefore deserving of special treatment, or as a new issue that should be tackled through regular processes. For example, the outbreak of H1N1 influenza was treated as an epidemic and led to the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars to buy vaccines of uncertain efficacy.
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